


Sickness Night

by AloneShadow



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bromance, Caring, Caring Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), Couch Cuddles, Friendship, Literal Sleeping Together, Not Betaed, One Shot, Short & Sweet, Sickfic, have mercy, sick mac
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22442581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AloneShadow/pseuds/AloneShadow
Summary: Jack comes back home to find a sick Mac in need of help.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 113





	Sickness Night

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone needs a Dalton pillow time to time

Jack stepped outside the airport to find a gray, cloudy sky. He looked up and took a deep breath, happy to be home: the mission in Europe took more time than expected- and turned out to be more difficult as well- but everything has gone as planned and the whole team made it back safe and sound. 

It still felt weird say _team_ when Mac and the others were not with him. Jack didn’t complain much about it with Matty because it should have been just a few days mission, but that turned in almost two weeks.

She stayed in contact all the time, of course, updating him on the situation there, in Los Angeles, but not hearing from Mac nor Riley for so long didn't happen in a while and he was eager to see them and the rest of the team. _His_ team.

Hoping to see everyone in the evening, for a bear at Mac's as usual, he moved to the street to call a cab, dragging his bag along, wondering if his clothes were maybe a bit too dirty. He skipped the shower in order to take the first flight available back to America... Probably not his best idea.

He was ready to raise an arm when his phone rang. Checking the screen, he smiled and answered: “Bozer! It’s so good to hear you, man! You'll never guess where I am!” 

“Welcome back, Jack. Matty called and told me you were comin- Mac, put that down.” 

“Is Mac there?” Jack smiled even more, “I’m sure you guys are _not_ preparing a party for me, right?” 

“Huhh…” 

“Don’t worry. I'm pretty good at faking being surprised.”

“Mac-!” Bozer gasped and something crashed on the floor. “Can you stop for two seconds?!” 

Jack tilted his head, “Is everything alright?” 

“No. I mean, yes, but- there’s kind of a situation here... And I might need some help.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Bozer sighed. “It’s Mac.” He said, and Jack was already running towards a taxi that has stopped a few meters away. 

Once in front of Mac's house, Jack started banging on the door. “Hey, Mac? Bozer?” 

There were some noises from the inside, then quick steps and finally the door opened and Bozer smiled, visibly relieved. “It’s so good to see you, Jack.” He said hugging him. 

“Good to see you too,” he smiled back, returning the gesture, patting a hand on his back. “So, where’s Mac? Is he alright?” 

“See it for yourself,” Bozer said letting him inside and pointing at the living room, closing the door. 

Jack quickly moved in that direction and suddenly froze: there were strange, little constructions scattered all over the place, as many as random screwdrivers and other items; watching closely, Jack realized those were undoubtedly Mac’s works, but they all looked ready to crumble into pieces. “What the hell happened here?” 

“I tried to- wait, where is he? Mac?” Bozer looked around before running outside, on the balcony. 

“I’ll check in his room.” Jack turned around, dodging a punch just in time, dropping the bag and grabbing the enemy’s arm by instinct, ready to smash the person on the floor, but stopped just as fast, as soon as he realized it wasn’t an enemy. “Hey, Mac!” He greeted him with a smile.

“…Jack?” he blinked as if trying to focus on him. 

“Thanks for the warm welcome.” He snorted letting go and hugging him, narrowing his eyebrows as he patted both hands on his back, feeling Mac’s body strangely hot even through the shirt. “You sure are pretty warm…” Moving back, he noticed Mac's hair were a mess, and his trousers were zipped up but left unbuttoned- even more confusing, he was wearing only one boot. 

“I thought you were- somewhere else,” Mac said. 

“I was. I just came back from-” Jack held him by a shoulder when Mac seemed about to fall against the shelf. “Are you ok?” 

“Yeah…” 

“No, he’s not.” Bozer said coming back inside, “And why did you change? I told you, you’re not coming with me.” 

“Matty called for both of us,” Mac said. 

“Yes, and I was going to tell her that you’re sick, but you threw my phone away!” 

“He’s sick?” Jack asked, starting to understand. 

“I’m fine. Matty needs us to… To…” 

Both Bozer and Jack supported him this time when he started to fall forward. “Right now, I think you just need to sit down,” Jack said, slowly guiding him on the couch, putting a hand on his forehead, “Mac, you’re burning up!” 

“I’m not,” he said weakly slapping his hand away, trying to stand, but falling down again. 

“Stay here. I’ll get you some water,” Bozer sighed while moving to the kitchen, gesturing Jack to follow so they could talk. “He’s been sick for the past few days and, let me tell you, I was considering to expatriate.” 

“I saw him sick few times, but never like this,” Jack said, sending worried looks at the man sitting on the couch, eyes closed, breathing hard. “Are you sure we shouldn’t take him to the hospital?” 

“No, he’s under medicines already. It was way worse yesterday…” 

“Worse than this?” 

“He spent the whole day building all the trash you see around the house,” Bozer said gesturing at the incomplete projects. “You know his brain is pure chaos _normally_ , but in these conditions, he can’t focus on anything for more than five minutes. It's driving both of us insane!” 

“The beast unleashed…” Jack murmured, terrified. 

“Exactly. I’ve tried hiding whatever I could, but with Mac there’s no point. I couldn’t lock him into his room either…” Bozer sighed tiredly.

“You couldn’t ask Riley for help?” 

“I tried, but Mac told me not to call her. I don’t think he wants her to see him like this.” 

“Well, I can understand that, but…” Jack sighed, sending another worried look at Mac. 

“I know it doesn’t look like it, but he’s getting better. Problem is, Matty called for us today, and I’m kind of scared to tell her Mac’s not coming via phone, so I have to go there in person and pray to survive...” 

“And you want me to stay here with him,” Jack finished, nodding. 

“I’m sorry. I know you just came back. I really wanted to make a party, but-“ 

“Hey, don’t worry. Protecting the genius is still my job, after all. You go. I’ll stay with Mac and call Matty to explain what is going on.” 

“Really? Would you do that?” 

“Sure. She didn’t call for me, anyway, and she knows Mac rarely takes days off… I doubt she’s going to send a squad to drag him to work.” Jack giggled, but it took them a second to consider that as an actual possibility, “But if she does, I’ll take care of them. Come on, he’s sick. He can’t go anywhere like this. He didn't sleep at all these days?” 

“Maybe for a while, here and there?” Bozer shrugged. “He slept on the couch since he got the fever because he said his back and neck hurt too much laying in bed.” 

“He doesn’t get sick often, doesn’t he?” 

“Not so badly, no,” Bozer sighed. “He hates when it happens. It’s like his brain goes into overdrive because the rest of his body slows down.”

Jack heard his phone ringing and read the message. “Uh, it’s Matty… Asking for you.” He said, and Bozer just groaned. “It’s alright, just go. I’ll call her back.” 

“You’re my hero,” Bozer said, relieved, grabbing his jacket. “Mac should be fine, but if the fever starts to rise again, the pills are on the counter. And if he starts throwing up-“ 

“Bozer, relax. I can handle it- hey.” Jack grabbed Mac by the back of his shirt when he so casually walked past him to follow his friend to the door. “Where you think you’re going?” 

“Matty called.” He simply answered.

“Mac, you can’t work like this. Stay here and try to get some rest, ok?” Bozer said patting a hand on his arm. 

“I’m fine. I told you I’m fine…” he insisted, promptly falling against him. 

“You know, I usually call you _kid_ as a joke, but now...” Jack sighed pulling him away from his friend, trying to help him stand.

“I can still do my job. Jack, let me go…” 

Bozer shared a look with Jack that just nodded, a gentle way to say, _Go before I change my mind_. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.” 

As the door closed, Mac’s head dropped and Jack felt him heavier into his arms. “Alright… How about I take you back to that beautiful couch while I call Matty?” he said maneuvering them both towards it. “You rest here for a moment, then I can make you tea, or a soup- have you eaten anything today?”

“I said that I’m fine,” Mac nervously said, trying to stand again, but Jack’s hand was enough to push him back down. “Jack, come on…” 

“That’s my line. You’re as pale as a ghost and you can barely- finish one of these,” he said gesturing at the objects around them. “We both know you can’t work like this, so just take it easy for once, ok?” 

Mac stared at him for a bit, then took a deep breath and looked down, his head lolling forward. 

“Thank you. Now, give me just a second, then I’ll prepare you the best soup in the world.” Jack took a few steps back, grabbing his phone and making the call: “Hey Matty, how are- yes, Bozer is coming. No, Mac isn’t. Because he’s sick- like, really sick. No, I’m not lying!” He barked, offended. 

Mac’s eyes were half-open, hearing only fragments of the conversation. He stood up again, slowly and unsteadily wandering around the living room. 

“-and he told me about it. Come on, we both know you would have blamed Bozer for- Mac, sit back down.” Jack said, running to stop him from going on the balcony. 

“I’m hot!” Mac complained. 

“Then go take a shower!” Jack shot back, but then stopped him again when he was heading to the bathroom, “Wait- on second thought, better if you don't do that alone. I don’t want you to break your neck in the tub.” 

“Jack, I’m not five!” 

“I know, just give me a minute! Matty, I’m serious, he can’t- yes, I’m staying here with him.” 

Mac groaned and moved free from him, walking around the couch like a caged animal. 

“Look, I’m telling you, he’s gonna take a few days off… He never asked for one in years, he has probably accumulated months by now.” Jack sighed, “Well, at the moment, I’m more worried that he starts building the Holy Grail with a can and pieces from the chandelier…” he said and turned around, finding Mac staring intently at him and then up, at the said chandelier. “Mac, it was just a joke.” 

Mac didn’t seem to be listening, focusing on the lights while starting to lose his balance again. 

“Mac, stop, you’re going to-“ Jack once again dashed forward just in time to catch him with one arm. “Damn it- yes, I’m here,” Jack sighed again, keeping his arm around Mac, feeling him grasp the back of his jacket for support. “Matty, I have to go... Yeah, he’s fine, but- you know, it’s hard to keep him still. Tell Bozer not to worry. Talk to you later.” 

Closed the call, Jack put the phone down somewhere on the closest shelf to hold Mac with both arms. “Ok, now you go straight to bed and-“ 

"No... Bed hurts..." 

Jack noticed how hard Mac was breathing, too weak to even raise his head that was leaning against Jack's side. “Then back on the couch. You wait here while I make some soup.” Once again, he dragged both towards it, but Mac wasn’t helping at all this time, going limp against him. “Always if I don’t have to take you to the hospital…” 

“What? No...” Mack woke up at that, trying to break free, only managing to make them switch places and, as he lost his balance again, it was Jack ending up laying on the couch, dragging Mac down with him, both groaning in pain as they harshly crashed against each other. 

“Ow... I think you broke my ribs with that big head of yours,” Jack huffed a laugh, still holding him. Looking down, all he could see were Mac's blonde, messy hair and one of his arm hanging down, the hand probably brushing the floor. “You ok?” Jack asked. He could feel him breathing hard even more clearly now.

“Mh…” was the answer. 

“Come on, let me stand so I can-“ 

“Can't we- stay like this for now?” 

“Ah, sure...? Wouldn’t be better without me between you and the couch, though?” 

Mac slowly shook his head over his chest, eyes closed. “My neck doesn’t hurt this way…” 

“Really? Well, that's good,” Jack relaxed a bit, head against the armrest. “It got you really bad this time, didn’t it?” He held him tightly when Mac's body started to slip aside. Jack’s left foot was on the floor, keeping them both stable enough, but Jack had to move the right one as well to make more space for his friend if he wanted to stop him from falling. 

“I hate it…” Mac murmured, moving both his arms around Jack’s torso.

“I know, but I’m sure you’ll be fine in the morning. Just try to relax...” 

“I can’t relax if everything hurts.” 

“Then focus on something else.”

Mac’s eyes opened, scanning the living room for that _something_. He just needed another project to keep his mind busy... 

“Not something to build,” Jack said as if he could read his mind. “Close your eyes and think about- I don’t know, a place you like. Picture all the details in your mind…” 

After a moment, Mac sighed. “Too many details… My head hurts.” 

Jack tried not to laugh. “Ok, then there's the easy version: try to remember all the lyrics of your favorite song.” 

“Are you serious?” 

“Unless you want me to sing something for you?” 

“No...” 

“Then pick one for yourself. You can sing out loud if you want. I don’t mind.” 

Mac closed his eyes again, trying to think of a song, but his mind drifted somewhere else, and he soon found himself falling asleep listening to Jack’s heartbeat.

The house was silent and in the dark when Mac woke up. Recognizing his living room, he tried to push himself up, confused by finding someone beneath him, and realizing it was Jack a second later- while starting to slide away, towards the floor. 

Mac held tightly on Jack to stop, and the agent instantly did the same, grasping the back of his shirt with a hand. “You really can’t relax, can you?” Jack murmured, his voice low and a bit raspy.

“I was. Why are we on the couch?” 

“Because you said I’m a good pillow,” Jack said, a smile into his voice. “Are you feeling better?” 

“Yeah…” Mac said, slowly starting to remember. “What time is it?” 

“Around five I think.” 

“In the afternoon?” 

“In the morning. I came here later yesterday- OOF!” Jack’s coughed as Mac dropped his head on his chest again, not very gently, murmuring something he didn’t catch. “That hurts… Your big brain’s heavy, man,” he groaned, still smiling. 

“Matty is going to kill me…” Mac said looking at the living room with eyes only half-open. 

“Don’t worry about that. Bozer and I got you covered.” 

“Did you?” 

“Of course we did.” He said patting a hand on his back. “You know, I think last time we slept so close was in Iraq. Can’t remember the mission, though…” 

Mac thought for a second. “You were sick.” 

“Huh? Was I?” 

“You fell into that river and got sick during the sand storm… Had to drag you around for two days.” 

“What? How come I don't remember about that?” 

“You probably thought it was just a dream…” 

“I had no idea…” Jack comment, surprised. “You could have told me.” 

“Wasn’t important.” 

“I still want to know about it.” 

“Fine… Later.” Mac took a deep breath, trying to move his arms, both still stuck beneath Jack’s body. “We should stand up… And hope Bozer didn’t come home finding us like this.” 

“Nah, he's not home yet.” 

“He'll be back soon.” 

“I know... Hey, how about we… We just stay like this and let him come up with one of his jokes? Then we can stand…” 

Mac blinked, puzzled, and pushed himself up again to look at him: Jack’s head was turned towards the back of the couch, as the soldier has fallen asleep again, without realizing. Mac sighed and was ready to smash his head down on him again, just to wake him up, but then noticed few little scratches on Jack’s forehead, and stains on his uniform- his military suit. It took Mac another second to noticed Jack’s bag laying on the floor, with the flight sticker still on it. 

_Did he came here directly from the airport?_ Mac wondered and then looked at Jack, ready to ask, but the agent was sleeping so peacefully that Mac just shut his mouth, carefully laying down on his chest again. “You know Bozer will take pictures of us…” he murmured staring at the little creations left unfinished on the coffee table. 

Mac closed his eyes and fall asleep again, with Jack’s heartbeat as lullaby.


End file.
